I was just curious, because I bought the wrong dye and don't want to drive back and return it, what would happen if I used glycerine due in a batch of my lye based soap? I've read not to do it but haven't found an answer on why I should not do it. Are we talking insolubility or are we talking explosion? Both outcomes I may or may not be ok with depending on the day. But if insolubility is the problem it may be used as neat effects? Someone must have done this before...
Glycerine dye used in Lye based soap
- Thread starter pjones
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
Can you post a link to the product? Glycerin is fine for CP but depending on what the actual dye is, different things could happen. Most likely its just food coloring and if thats the case, the color could morph or disappear completely.
I know that Carolyn mixes her micas (and maybe oxides?) with glycerin and stores them that way, to dribble in the perfect color when she needs it. It works incredibly well, so some colorants mixed with glycerin work well based on that. But she is starting with soap safe colorants.
Glycerin is soluble in water. There is water in soap. Therefore glycerin is soluble in soap. Also saponification produces glycerin -- up to 8% by weight in a finished bar soap. If this naturally produced glycerin doesn't cause an explosion or other horrible outcome, then any added glycerin won't either.
Glycerin can cause sticky, weepy spots if not thoroughly mixed into the soap. A cosmetic issue, but something to be aware of. All of my pigment colorants are mixed with glycerin and work fine. I sometimes mix gold mica with glycerin and drizzle this syrup sparingly on top of my soap and within pencil lines to simulate flecks of gold.
The main issues with your situation is if the colorant is tolerant of lye and is skin safe or not.
Glycerin can cause sticky, weepy spots if not thoroughly mixed into the soap. A cosmetic issue, but something to be aware of. All of my pigment colorants are mixed with glycerin and work fine. I sometimes mix gold mica with glycerin and drizzle this syrup sparingly on top of my soap and within pencil lines to simulate flecks of gold.
The main issues with your situation is if the colorant is tolerant of lye and is skin safe or not.
The package says it's for soap-making, so I don't see why it should pose any problems....unless they were perchance manufactured solely for Melt & Pour soaps, in which case they would still be perfectly safe to use in lye-based soap, but the colors might morph. What I would do before using them in soap is to try squirting some into a small bit of lye solution to see if they hold their color.
For what it's worth, I mix my colorants with glycerin all the time with no issues.
IrishLass
For what it's worth, I mix my colorants with glycerin all the time with no issues.
IrishLass
Yep, it looks like theyre safe for CP but those are definetly made for MP soaps.
I read the ingredients on the back of them in your pictures. They have oxides, ultramarines and the liquid colors like blue 1, yellow 5, ect.
The ultramarines and oxides ususally don't morph much (like chromium green I see in there) but some of the violets can.
The liquid ones like blue 1, yellow 5, red 40, ect. are the ones that are most likely to morph in CP soap. I forget what some of them morph to.
Like IL says, I'd test them in lye to see if they change.
I read the ingredients on the back of them in your pictures. They have oxides, ultramarines and the liquid colors like blue 1, yellow 5, ect.
The ultramarines and oxides ususally don't morph much (like chromium green I see in there) but some of the violets can.
The liquid ones like blue 1, yellow 5, red 40, ect. are the ones that are most likely to morph in CP soap. I forget what some of them morph to.
Like IL says, I'd test them in lye to see if they change.
Blue 1 turns purple in cp. I make very pretty purples with blue food coloring (blue 1)
Great info thanks! Sounds like I will not be filling my house with toxic fumes. I'm not too concerned if the colors change, it's all for personal use. My biggest problem right now is that I can not see my dye free bars against the bathtub floor when I drop the soap, that sounds so petty when I say it out loud...
Come to think of it, if that is my biggest problem right now then I'm a pretty lucky man.
Thanks for the feedback, it sounds like I won't need to turn the light on while I shower after all (some mornings are just too early for that).
Come to think of it, if that is my biggest problem right now then I'm a pretty lucky man.
Thanks for the feedback, it sounds like I won't need to turn the light on while I shower after all (some mornings are just too early for that).
"... it sounds like I won't need to turn the light on while I shower after all (some mornings are just too early for that)...."
Oh, gosh ... we didn't tell you these dyes glow in the dark?
Just kidding.
Really.
Oh, gosh ... we didn't tell you these dyes glow in the dark?
Just kidding.
Really.
